“The Watchers” Boxed Set by Ellison Blackburn

The Watchers

Ellison Blackburn

“The Watchers” series is a smart, unique pair of books about an archeologist, Mallory Jacks, who discovers a very unusual set of remains on a dig in England. Is it a hoax–or are our legends real?

As I said about Mallory in my review of the first book, “If There Be Giants”: “A complex and compelling character, Mallory wrestles with the scientific and moral dilemma placed before her, as well as her personal tragedies, which, it turns out, are also linked to the project. A strong female lead who doesn’t play into the stereotypes of strong female leads, Mallory is a welcome addition to the specfic genre. I definitely recommend this book for readers looking for smart, female-oriented speculative fiction.” This is not so much sci-fi as we normally know it, as near-future speculative fiction aimed at the intelligent, thoughtful reader.

This continues in the second book, “Second Son,” in which the story continues but the focus switches to the point of view of Grey, Mallory’s lover. However, to quote myself again, “the focus of the book is less on the romance–although that is present–and more on the intellectual, psychological, and theological issues the characters are wrestling with.”

The two books really form one continuous story, so reading them together as they’re presented here will make more sense than reading them separately. An interesting series for the thoughtful reader!

My thanks to the author for providing me with review copies of the books. All opinions are my own.